Thanks for joining me. Until we meet again. Goodbye!
Full-time: Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal
A pretty atrocious afternoon at the office for Arsenal who just couldn’t compete with Chelsea today. The fact they were second best was mainly down to a defence that fell well short of expectations. The goalkeeper gifted one goal, Mitchell another and the third was certainly avoidable but Arsenal just could not cope with the concept of defending a ball over the top. Chelsea took their goals well and could have scored more but stopped at three to be polite.
90 min: Chelsea are given an extra three minutes to toy with Arsenal.
89 min: Mead tries to get the better of Blundell down the left but the defender holds her up and eventually earns possession.
87 min: Bachmann latches onto a pass into the box and fires a shot from an acute angle at goal but Peyraud-Magnin is equal to the effort.
85 min: Evans pings a cross into the box which Bright heads wide while facing her own goal. It could have gone anywhere that but the defender knew what she was doing.
83 min: Arsenal just aimlessly lumping the ball into the channels has been a constant theme in this. Midfielders have taken no responsibility for their team today, just hoping the forwards are willing to chase the ball regardless. They really miss Nobbs in midfield, that’s for sure.
81 min: It’s almost 4-0 as Ingle launches a straight ball over the top for Kirby, she controls the ball and tries to lift the ball over the onrushing Peyraud-Manning but the goalkeeper stops the ball with her feet. The ball then loops up but it is headed wide by a defender to clear.
79 min: The best thing Arsenal have done for ages starts with a Williamson pass through to Mead who tricks her way past a defender to get into the box but her low shot is saved by Berger who came out quickly.
77 min: Kirby dinks a cross into the box which Peyraud-Magnin tries to catch but flaps at the ball and completely misses it but a defender is on hand to clear.
75 min: Kirby plays the ball through to Bachmann who chips a cross to the back post but the header is blocked by Quinn on the edge of the six-yard box.
73 min: The Arsenal fans are still singing, which is great considering how badly their team is doing, but the A R S E N A L song is making me slowly go mad as it is pumped into my ears.
71 min: Chelsea toy with Arsenal on the edge of the box before Bachmann sends a tame shot well wide with her left foot.
Ji departs and Kirby replaces her. Not a bad change to make at this stage.
69 min: Finally Evans comes on, with McCabe exiting. I’m not sure it will make much difference at this stage, mind. Mitchell is outfoxed by Cuthbert and gains retribution for a foul, which she is booked for. Not a great day for Mitchell.
67 min: Chelsea withdraw England, one assumes out of pity for the Arsenal defence. Bachmann replaces her.
65 min: A strong theme of this match for Chelsea has been to send the ball over the top for England to chase, which has been quite successful and it’s quite worrying how Arsenal can’t combat such a simple tactic.
63 min: Arsenal are definitely being more aggressive now but it’s more out of frustration than any desire to actually get back into the game.
61 min: Arsenal have brought on Williamson as they finally realise their defence is not fit for purpose.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal (England, 58)
A long ball down the middle is flicked on for England to chase, which she does and gets to the ball before the sleeping Arsenal defence, allowing her to whack the ball into the top corner beyond Peyraud-Magnin who was rooted to her line for some reason.
Updated
57 min: Veje does well down the left and flashes a cross to the front post for Mead to flick towards goal but Berger stays big to deflect the shot wide.
55 min: Spence is limping around. Will she be able to continue?
53 min: Carney lifts a cross to the back post from the left but Cuthbert sends the ball straight at Peyraud-Magnin from close range. Moments later Ingle heads the ball to England who volleys just wide from the edge of the area.
51 min: Ji tries to drive through the middle of the Arsenal defence and looks set to achieve her aim until a bad touch on the edge of the area takes the ball through to the goalkeeper.
Too much swerve or just bad goalkeeping? Make up your own mind about Chelsea’s second.
We’ll be watching this one over and over again!
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 17, 2019
What a goal, @Jandersson25! 🔥#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ByZU5qHUtp
49 min: Ji goes down under pressure from Arnth to win a free-kick on the edge of the box. Carney takes it and aims for the far corner, forcing Peyraud-Magnin to dive to her left but the ball goes just wide.
47 min: Arsenal have started on the front foot here but without threatening. They need to keep this up to get back into the game.
Kick-off
Here we go again!
The teams are back out. Arsenal are making a change, with Evans set to come on.
Williamson is currently discussing how great it was to play in the FA Cup final last season. Not looking like she will be repeating that this time around.
How can Arsenal change this? It might be worth bringing Williamson on at the back as they need someone to provide stability there.
Half-time: Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal’s defence has been pretty poor throughout, looking nervous whenever Chelsea attack and at two crucial moments they have made catastrophic mistakes. First Mitchell was caught on the ball and then Payraud-Magnin let a shot from distance slip through her hands. Chelsea have been good in patches but Arsenal have set their own downfall.
45+1 min: Three minutes are being added on her thanks to a couple of injury stoppages.
44 min: It should be 3-0. A long pass over the top reaches England after Quinn heads it into her path but the forward’s shot is wayward.
Ps a very generous description of the goal from Chelsea.
Special from @Jandersson25, who takes aim from 25 yards and the swerve is too much for Peyraud-Magnin!
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 17, 2019
Her first goal of the season! 👌
2-0 [40'] #CFCW
42 min: Well ... Arsenal really need to take a long, hard look at themselves at the break. Another mistake nearly costs them a third as Arnth sends a stray pass straight to Cuthbert who gleefully runs at the Arsenal defence but smashes her shot from 20 yards straight over.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal (Andersson, 39)
Andersson picks the ball up around 25 yards from goal and whacks a shot with her left foot straight at Peyraud-Magnin but the Arsenal goalkeeper lets it go right through her hands. A terrible piece of goalkeeping from her. Mistakes have certainly cost Arsenal today.
Updated
38 min: Bright sends a atrocious backpass in the direction of Berger but it was nowhere near her and drifts out for a corner. Luckily for Bright, the set-piece is easily cleared.
36 min: Ji glides into the box and then whacks a shot from a tight angle well over. She had better options and really should have looked for a teammate in that situation.
34 min: Mead tries to latch onto a pass into the box but Bright read it superbly, sliding in to clear the danger just as the Arsenal forward was about to take possession.
32 min: A lot of the attacking is being done down the channels. If someone in the middle of the park could take control of this game, then their side would surely win.
Updated
30 min: Little clips a cross into the box but Mead can only send her shot wide while stretching six yards out.
I am sure my commentary has made you want to watch this game. Which you can on Facebook.
28 min: Chelsea have done to get through the Arsenal onslaught and are now on top at Kingsmeadow. Arsenal need to up it here to put the pressure back onto the hosts.
26 min: Spence waits in space on the edge of the box and is found by Carney but with time on her side, she lifts her shot well over the top while leaning back.
24 min: Arnth chases back to clear a long ball over the top from Chelsea but bizarrely heads it straight up in the air and then fouls Cuthbert just outside the area in an attempt to rectify her error. The subsequent free-kick is flicked over the bar by Bright.
22 min: Cuthbert does some delightful trickery down the left but her cross into the box is poor, meaning Arsenal clear the danger with minimal fuss.
20 min: Arsenal have been on top in this game but it shows that you cannot make stupid mistakes at this level, as they will cost you.
18 min: Mead gets the chance to send a free-kick into the box but her delivery is poor, allowing the ball to be cleared from the edge of the box.
16 min: More treatment is required on the pitch as Berge goes down in her own area for no reason. She is just sat on the edge of her six-yard box. No idea what is wrong, to be honest. This is only her second appearance for the club. She is back on her feet after the physios have done their work.
14 min: Arsenal have suffered terribly with injuries this season and Veje causes concern following a challenge from Cuthbert. There was nothing malicious in it but the kick on the shin forces Veje to limp off to the side but she should be able to continue.
12 min: Bloodworth has another chance as she controls a Mead pull-back but then hits a vicious shot across goal and wide.
The same pair combine soon after when Bloodworth slips in Mead, who cuts back onto her right foot and but her shot is blocked by a defender.
10 min: McCabe does incredibly well to keep a pass in on the right, then flicks the ball beyond Andersson, before smashing a low shot with her left foot from inside the area but it rebounds off the base of the post.
8 min: Arsenal react immediately as Bloodworth swings in a shot from the left, which Berger parries out towards Miedema but a Chelsea player sends the ball out for a corner. It was close though. Then Van der Donk lifts a cross into the box which Eriksson heads towards her own goal, forcing Berger to tip it over her own bar.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (England, 5)
Full-back Mitchell tries to go round Cuthbert but is dispossessed by Cuthbert who darts towards the box and lays the pass onto a plate for England to steer home form 15 yards.
Updated
4 min: England gets the wrong side of the Arsenal defence but her cross finds no one and drifts out of the danger zone. Down the other end, Mead fires a shot from distance but it is straight down Berger’s throat.
2 min: A Carney whips in a cross from the left but Quinn positions herself to head clear from the front post. A second cross is lumped into the box but the referee blows for offside.
Kick-off: Chelsea v Arsenal
Let’s get ready to rumble!
The teams are out on the pitch and there are plenty of people in the stands. Should be a good one.
Team news reminder:
Chelsea: Berger, Blundell, Bright, Ingle, Carney, Ji, England, Eriksson, Andersson, Cuthbert, Spence
Subs: Lindahl, Cooper, Kirby, Carter, Asante, Riley, Bachmann
Arsenal: Peyraud-Magnin; Arnth, Quinn, Mitchell; McCabe, Bloodworth, Little, Veje; Van de Donk, Mead, Miedema
Subs: Van Veenendaal, Williamson, Kuyken, Evans, Hazard
It’s a lovely day in London. Mild and sunnier, the only potential problem will be for goalkeepers as the sunshine is pretty bright out at there at the moment.
Getting ready ...
⚡️🚫 @Berger_Ann #CFCW pic.twitter.com/KdiOVdBeT2
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 17, 2019
These two sides met in the final last year, which shows how big an occasion this will be today. Whoever wins today will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Chelsea eased to a 3-1 victory in May, so there is more reason for Arsenal to be at their very best today.
The game today will be shown live on Facebook, which is a great idea to attract new audiences by making it available for free on one of the world’s most accessible platforms. The women’s game is definitely growing in England but initiatives like can only help.
Arsenal have their gamefaces on.
We've arrived at Kingsmeadow 🙌
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 17, 2019
Gameface 🔛 #WeAreTheArsenal pic.twitter.com/R6j1XbOM8S
Chelsea team news ...
Here it is ... finally:
Chelsea: Berger, Blundell, Bright, Ingle, Carney, Ji, England, Eriksson, Andersson, Cuthbert, Spence
Subs: Lindahl, Cooper, Kirby, Carter, Asante, Riley, Bachmann
Arsenal team news...
Here is the Arsenal team, still waiting on Chelsea to announce theirs ...
Arsenal: Peyraud-Magnin; Arnth, Quinn, Mitchell; McCabe, Bloodworth, Little, Veje; Van de Donk, Mead, Miedema
Subs: Van Veenendaal, Williamson, Kuyken, Evans, Hazard
Here’s an interview with Everton’s Willie Kirk about life in the women’s game:
Preamble
Good afternoon!
It’s been a busy couple of days for FA Cup action at Kingsmeadow. Yesterday, Millwall defeated AFC Wimbledon here and now it’s hosting Chelsea against Arsenal.
It’s been an interesting season for these two teams, with Arsenal winning 5-0 at the same venue earlier in the campaign in what was a crushing defeat for Chelsea but they did manage to claim victory in the reverse fixture.
Arsenal have a three-point advantage over their opponents in the league but Chelsea will be looking for revenge on their home patch from the loss in the league, so it should be an exciting encounter.
